Pew Charitable Trusts

The Pew Charitable Trusts "support nonprofit activities in the areas of culture, education, the environment, health and human services, public policy and religion. Based in Philadelphia, with an office in Washington, D.C., the Trusts make strategic investments that encourage and support citizen participation in addressing critical issues and effecting social change."[1] Their conservation arm is the Pew Environment Group.

Contents

Overview & history

"The Trusts consist of seven individual charitable funds established between 1948 and 1979 by two sons and two daughters of Sun Oil Company founder Joseph N. Pew and his wife, Mary Anderson Pew. Though the Trusts are separate legal entities, their grantmaking activities are managed collectively and guided by a single set of programmatic priorities."[2]

As a major funder of environmental and other projects the Pew trusts have been criticised by conservative groups aiming to 'defund the left'. [3]

Takeover of the Barnes Collection

The Pew Foundation led by Rebecca Rimel was instrumental in the legal manuevering for the takeover of the Barnes art collection -- a large prime collection of artwork with an estimated value of $25 - $30 bn.[1] In order to be able to effect this art coup, the Pew changed its status to non-profit charity.